Green businesses unsure of how stimulus will help them

ARGOS — It's a major cornerstone of President Obama's stimulus bill, funding alternative energy to help create jobs. But at Itamco Energy in Argos, it's still unclear how it's all going to work.

Gary West is the sales manager at Itamco.

"Honestly at this point I don't think we have an answer to that question,Â? he said. Â?We are in wait and see mode."

Itamco is a machine parts manufacturer, and, among other things, they build gear boxes for wind turbines. West says wind farm developers can't get the financing to build more towers, which has cut demand of the gear boxes by 50 percent.

"Best case is the financing gets released for the wind farm developers to be able to have the money they need to put up additional towers," said West.

Jim Geselle of Abundant Energy Works (AEW) in Elkhart says he is also trying to figure out how the stimulus bill will help his business. AEW is still developing a personal power plant, which Geselle says will eventually use recycled materials to heat your home, heat your water, and possibly even power your car.

"We haven't been able to look deeply into the package to see if it would affect us," said Geselle.

"It provides tax breaks for small businesses, a number of the alternative energy companies,Â? said Donnelly. Â?Any net operating losses they've had in the last year, they can carry that back over five years and get an income tax break."